Posted by: Cliff Edwards on April 27, 2009

In the company’s second-quarter earnings statement today, CEO Paul Jacobs suggests he never saw much of a downturn to begin with. The company’s older CDMA technology, already on the wane, has been affected. But growth in 3G and the potential for new fourth-generation networks is keeping the business going, he says.

Qualcomm’s earnings and revenues seem to back that opinion up. Revenues remained remarkably stable. The company posted sales of $2.45 billion, compared to $2.60 billion in the prior year and $2.51 billion in the prior quarter.

Profits tumbled after Qualcomm settled longstanding patent battle with rival Broadcom by paying $891 million. The company posted net income of $894 million in the prior year and $520 million in the prior quarter. Excluding the settlement, earnings were close to Wall Street expectations.

The settlement is a big chunk of change. But it effectively ends years of acrimonious and distracting challenges to Qualcomm’s business model of licensing a broad suite of patents to handset makers and wireless carriers. Broadcom and Nokia over the past few years have challenged Qualcomm and accused it of charging for patents it doesn’t own and overcharging for those that it does. The Broadcom case was due for another court hearing that could have adversely affected Qualcomm. Both parties against to a cross-licensing deal.

Nasty litigation aside, the rest of the year still doesn’t look great for companies in the wireless industry. Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo earlier this month blamed a massive quarterly hit to its revenues on the “extensive de-stocking by operators and distributors” of inventory already in the sales channels in first quarter.

But it does look like we’re starting to see winners and losers emerge even before the economic downturn shakes out. Samsung posted a quarterly operating profit rate of a whopping 11.5 percent in the first quarter, compared to Nokia’s 8.9 percent. Motorola when it reports its quarterly results is expected to join Sony Ericsson in sliding further behind Nokia, Samsung and LG.

Qualcomm investors also seem to think it will be one of the winners. It’s stock in late trading Monday was up nearly 6% to $43.69. Telecom analyst James Moorman at Standard & Poor’s (also owned by BusinessWeek parent McGraw-Hill Cos.) boosted sales and profit projections for Qualcomm’s full fiscal year. But he maintains a sell rating on the company, calling shares overvalued.

Reader Comments

Ossie

April 28, 2009 7:35 AM

Qualcomm, may have been set back by the settlement of the patent battle, but atleast it ended. The players who might win are not just the big sharks in the game,the economic downturn has ensured small and middle players can go laughing to the bank( mind you only those who were early enough to patent themselves in their niche technology).
The question is whether individual inventors who are unable to spend on thousands of legal fees, can they patent themselves? I doubt it, but you can take a look at this site I came across recently, that states to do just that!!Take a look: http://www.patentexpress.com/ I mean who on earth reviews these!!~!

Interconnect

April 28, 2009 9:50 AM

Dr Paul Jacobs after the settlement of row with Broadcom it is expected the market will benefit from newer research and products. 3G licenses will be issued in a months time in Pakistan with loyal market for Qualcomm, as well GSM. Now is the time to prove to the market where China Mobile started first operations outside China. Who will win whether GSM, Broadcom, Qualcomm. Rather the first order of 3G will be won by who? eMail: interconnect.partner@gmail.com

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Bloomberg Businessweek writers Peter Burrows, Cliff Edwards, Olga Kharif, Aaron Ricadela, and Douglas MacMillan, dig behind the headlines to analyze what’s really happening throughout the world of technology. Tech Beat covers everything from tech bellwethers like Apple, Google, and Intel and emerging new leaders such as Facebook to new technologies, trends, and controversies.